The Sharks’ summer of zigzagging and redefining terms — plus a few thoughts on the angry response to the impending arrival of ‘ice girls’

SAN JOSE – Do not feel bad if you’re having a hard time trying to figure out what the Sharks are up to this summer. And we’re not even talking about the firing of Drew Remenda or the hiring of “ice girls” as part of an ice team. We’ll get to that last item later.

Anyone paying close attention has learned that while general manager Doug Wilson has been direct in his message, that message often has a “what I really was trying to convey” re-interpretation a few weeks later. And what you and everyone else thought you were hearing? Well, no, that’s not what he meant.

Take the June 1 statement to my Merc colleague, Tim Kawakami, that “I want players who want to play here, not just live here.” It came at a time the focus was on how Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau would react to the hint that maybe veterans don’t want to stick around while the team undergoes a rebuild (and we’ll get to that term shortly).

So, naturally, that “play here, not live here” statement seemed to be directed at those two players – both of whom were signed to new three-year contracts in January that included no-movement clauses. And nobody from the Sharks expressed any concern about that.

But, two weeks later, Wilson said no, he wasn’t referring to anybody now on the team. He was talking about former players who might be interested in coming back to the Sharks.

What? There were no names mentioned, but if that was his intended meaning, maybe it was directed at former Sharks Devin Setoguchi or Evegni Nabokov. Who knows? And if that’s who he really was referring to, pretty much a safe bet the comments would not have gotten the attention they did – all part of the indirect pressure put on Thornton and Marleau.

Then, late last week, Wilson wanted to clarify what he means by the word rebuild – one he’s used freely since the Sharks made their most recent playoff exit.

Normally, a rebuild means a team looking past the present and to the future. Normally, it’s a signal to expect a dropoff in performance while a team regroups – with the only thing in doubt is how far a team will drop and how long that fallow period would last. Wilson even reinforced that with references to the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks, who missed the playoffs for season after season after season before turning things around. He did say the Sharks wouldn’t need that much time, but it was clearly a signal not to have high expectations going forward with the payoff coming later.

But late last week, Wilson wanted to clarify what he meant by rebuild. He never said this team would miss the playoffs – and that’s true. But nobody ever claimed that he did.

He said the Sharks are still a very good team And when he was talking about rebuild, he meant rebuild the culture and the hierachy. And that is what he has done with players such as Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun getting more responsibility on and off the ice. Oh, and that “step backward to take two steps forward?” That second part comes in September when players return for training camp.

You can find the story I wrote on that conversation for Saturday’s paper here . And, no, that’s not what I thought he meant either.

The easy explanation for all that is that things haven’t gone as Wilson would have preferred, that Thornton and Marleau did not take the hint – understandable because then they become the fall guys and, even worse, have to relocate after giving the Sharks a hometown discount.

One other factor: The Sharks say their ticket renewal rate is a work in progress as they connect, as they always do, with fans who have canceled tickets and often are successful in getting them back in the fold. I’m just thinking aloud here, but maybe the “rebuild” talk on top of everything else pushed a few too many out the door. And now the message has to be more upbeat than it had been.

Maybe everything will work out for the best. Maybe this changing of the guard will go smoothly and everybody will unite to show the boss he was wrong in his initial assessment of what went horribly wrong against the Los Angeles Kings.

The one person I don’t envy at this point is Coach Todd McLellan. With Wilson’s latest re-definition, he now has the challenge of producing victories with a lineup that seems to have been divided into camps by the general manger himself.

*****Anyone who thinks the Sharks are about to hire “ice girls” showing as much skin as those in Dallas or Chicago or a dozen other cities is probably mistaken. I think Sharks chief operating officer John Tortora will aim for something less revealing or more appropriate for something in this market.

He said that in the story that ran in the print edition today and you can find it online here . But to me, the key quote in that story came not from Tortora, but one of the fans upset by the prospect of the change that is about to come. Heidi Finan, a 50-year-old fan from Cupertino called it “culturally tone deaf” and this seems to nail it.

The point was driven home as I divided the 30 NHL teams into haves and have-nots as far as “ice girls” – the accepted term even if the Sharks prefer to look at them as the female members of their “ice team.” San Jose would become the 22nd team to go that route. Of the other eight, five are in Canada where the game itself must be seen as enough of a draw. Of the three in the United States, two – Detroit and Buffalo – are smack dab on the Canadian border; the third team, the New York Rangers, had a crew until sexual harassment charges surfaced in 2004. Those did not involve players, by the way, but members of the team’s administrative office.

So why does San Jose find itself in a somewhat unique spot? Let’s go with the obvious answer: Northen California is probably the most politically progressive metropolitan area in the United States. That can mean a lot of things. But to a lot of political progressives, ice girls are another form of the objectification of women and that’s not a good thing.

No, we’re not talking all fans. And, yes, those who object probably have other reasons as well. But it’s safe to say San Jose has gone this long without ice girls for a reason. The idea has come up in the past only to be shot down by either CEO Greg Jamison or past owners who had a sense how this would play both in the community and, if truth be told, on the home front.

The story made reference to digital petitions being signed on both Facebook and at change.org. I suppose I could drive a little traffic there if I gave the link, but I’ll let someone in the comment section do that for me so it looks a little less like I’m stirring the pot.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

FTF had an interesting comment in a recent article, speaking to the confusion in the fan base.

“playing to not-win in 2014 does not equal playing to win in 2016”.

I see that. You’ve got 2 very good, older players in Thornton and Marleau. And when they are no longer as effective (especially Jumbo), this team is going to be on the wrong side of the curve. Taking 2014 to ‘not-win’ doesn’t mean you’ll be fine in 2016 when those guys are 37.

GP_hockeyhappens

Not sure you got the gist…

“… if say for some reason …”

Also didn’t even imply a bunch of games…

“If we are losing a bunch of games 6-2, it likely won’t be because of our ‘young guys’ back there…”

Then why?

Buddy Elf

It will be amazing how many people will be freaking out

Buddy Elf

That fatty who got all of her facts wrong earlier in the offseason, sure won’t be getting married there if that is a requirement .

Topcatone

I suspect that Burns will be given free reign to roam in the offensive zone (another player will cover for him)…as well, they can switch him to forward for a game, e.g.. I think with a summer of Robinson work he might be a surprise on defense.

Topcatone

Not that many players needed to be replaced. It was the team and individual attitude that needs adjustment to complete. (i.e. “do what is necessary to win in the playoffs, legal or not, nice or not”). Afterall, we were up on the Kings 3-0 and no one else beat them either, so we are not far from the top.

Topcatone

Yep, construct the team and the attitude to compete in the playoffs (just so you make the playoffs, even barely)…8th or 1st does not matter much, except for home team ticket money, because the conference is so balanced.

ZEKE

Goalie and depth forwards would be the likely culprits. By moving Burns, assuming he pans out nicely back there, 5 of the 6 blue line spots should be pretty good.

GP_hockeyhappens

That is all likely the case. But this still wasn’t the point. Buddy Elf and Tom Q got it.

Ronn Sven

What we did was a Peal Harbor attack. We woke up a sleeping giant. We are more than not far from the top.I still have us rated 4th in the West. Are we better than Chicago and the Ducks?

Ronn Sven

Guys step up. Who is going to guide them? Do not see the player leadership as of yet. Hope DW clarifies those roles.

Ronn Sven

I like rebuild canard better!

ZEKE

I guess I don’t think a 6-2 loss is going to upset people unless it becomes somewhat the norm. Last year, we sort of had the opposite occur — when we were down a bunch of forwards and had to pull from Worcester. I think fans wondered how we would survive that stretch prior to the Olympic break. We thrived. I give TMc a lot of credit for that stretch.

ZEKE

another guess at the conversation between Wilson and Hasso

Hasso: Do you think this group is going to get us past the 1st round in our division?

DW (already knowing how Hasso wants the question answered): No

Hasso: So why should I spend more $$ to get the same result?

DW (getting the message): You shouldn’t

Hasso: But I can spend less and get the same result

DW: Yes sir

Hasso: Its one of 2 things. You’re going to get me the horses needed to go deep in the playoffs. If I spend that money, you’d better be right (Wilson realizing he is now on a 1 year deal if he spends those $$). Or, you’ll dump the pricey deals, get us into the playoffs and when you’ve got the right core, then we’ll spend.

DW (realizing the leash he is on): Brilliant plan. I don’t think this year is the right year to go all in. Instead, we can save some $$, get the younger guys involved more and if things really click this year, I can always look to do something at the trade deadline. Otherwise, we’re rebuilding for the next year or two, using our awesome farm system and stellar draft picks. Once those guys develop, we should be ready for a run.

Hasso: That’s fine, just make sure the building is full during the regular season and that we make it to the playoffs. I’m not willing to lose $$ by becoming a bad team.

DW: Understood

Hasso: And on your way out, say good bye to Remenda.

GP_hockeyhappens

“I guess I don’t think a 6-2 loss is going to upset people unless it becomes somewhat the norm.”

Maybe you haven’t read enough posts over all the years of WTC. People do try to make a goat out of the wrong players even when it is a scenario they wanted. In this “case,” only a potential case, they have complained the young guys haven’t played. So, when they play and they aren’t helping, these people will melt down because the young guys aren’t scoring hat tricks etc.

There is also some basic human nature going on. Only those paying closer attention to the team would actually know that the Sharks survived and did well through the injuries. The standard fan does not notice and won’t notice if the team is winning despite the obstacles. If there were some struggles instead, they only notice because of losses because they don’t understand the scenario.

GP_hockeyhappens

You’re not getting it. My post has nothing to do with leading btw. Guys at this level need to step up just in their play. Young guys like James Sheppard and Nieto did in the POs. Guys like Couture and Wingels did not.

The other part, It won’t be DW to decide the so called “roles.” It’s been clear to me that these changes are happening to find out who it’s going to be. It’s much bigger than who is picked for captain, etc. The players will decide. That is one of the points of all of this isn’t.

spooky

Burns is a good D. with boyle left we needed to fill that gap and with Hertl back i can see this making sense.
GM will take a look at how 39,48 and 83 perform up to mid season before deciding what needs to be corrected, whether D or Forward.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

I cherry-picked two paragraphs from David P’s post (above) that stood out to me after re-reading it (again):

“The easy explanation for all that is that things haven’t gone as
Wilson would have preferred, that Thornton and Marleau did not take the
hint – understandable because then they become the fall guys and, even
worse, have to relocate after giving the Sharks a hometown discount…”

…skip two para’s…

“The one person I don’t envy at this point is Coach Todd McLellan.
With Wilson’s latest re-definition, he now has the challenge of
producing victories with a lineup that seems to have been divided into
camps by the general manger himself…”

From this, I get the feeling that DW has been reading Machiavelli’s “Art of War,” not Sun Tzu’s. What DP points to here is something that’s been on my mind – especially since Jumbo is the team leader. If there are in fact two camps, how much does that matter? I heard some discussion recently on some sports talk show about Reggie Jackson’s presence on the A’s, starting from his rookie season (they were the K.C. A’s then). Actually, I think it was Vida Blue & Bill Laskey. I don’t remember it exactly, but Vida put it like “after a while, people (A’s players) just got used to it – sort of Reggie being Reggie.” I realize the analogy isn’t exact, as nobody’s calling JT that type of armpit. But those A’s teams were definitely not known for “clubhouse chemistry.” They did win. If JT has the “C” taken away, does it really matter? Back to those two para’s I pasted in…maybe DW’s point is to make life distinctly uncomfortable? Especially for his “stars”? If that is in fact the case, I hope things are equally uncomfortable for #39.

sharksfan

It’s all part of Hasso’s big plan to move the Sharks away from the lousy TV contract. If they make the fans upset enough (firing Drew, Ice Girls, Goons), the fans won’t care if they move or not. Heck, the fans might demand them to move in hopes of getting another team (“come back, Bulls”).

All kidding aside, I’m confused about some of the changes, but just as interested in seeing what happens next, and how it all fits together. It’s the car accident that you just can’t seem to look away from.

Stevo

1st the Ducks sign Kesler. Now Heater. I really like what the Ducks are doing.

Here’s to hoping they sign some more Over the Hill Gang members.

GP_hockeyhappens

And don’t forget that stellar move trading away our own exalted Nick Bonino (by NuCupDW and others) to get Kesler.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

I can’t agree w/ you on Burns, Spooky. He’s not the worst D-man, for sure. But still, one thing Boyle had was a good grasp of how to run a team when on the PP. I really do no see that in Burns. Then there’s his tendency to chase the puck in his own d-zone, also a problem for a d-man. It is *not* for lack of effort that I fault him. It’s lack of judgement.

Buddy Elf

I can see DW making them uncomfortable…

The donkeys who say “trade Marleau, trade JT” fail to realize that DW isn’t in control of that. A flat out media push for getting someone to waive an NMC is maybe effective in short term, but horrible long term. When you offer anyone an NMC in the future (hoping they sign for less which is why most are given), you’ll have a much tougher time if the player knows an NMC to you doesn’t really mean anything, and they can expect the same type of abuse via the media when and if the GM wants them traded.

Going with more subtle, making them uncomfortable tactics, can help to grease the wheel, and possibly get them to waive the clause.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

Good point. One thing I forgot about that old A’s team – they all sort of bonded in their hatred of Charley Finley, which seemed to over-ride their own egos (Reggie wasn’t the only swollen head on that team). Don’t know if you remember it, but when Finley died, since Vida lives in the area, several local tv stations asked him for his thoughts. His response was pretty much, “I was brought up to not speak ill of the dead. That’s all I have to say.”

I guess I keep thinking about this for two reasons, one being that it’s off-season and not much else is happening. The second is, how does *THIS* group of athletes react to a “culture change” being imposed on them through the methods we’re seeing from DW? I talk to my relatives in Boston now and then and one thing that they say happened with the Red Sox when Bobby Valentine came in with his heavy-hand, the response was to order fried chicken in the bull pen and start downing beer during the games. I know the culture in hockey is very different, but stars will pout…we’ve seen it on the Sharks.

Ronn Sven

The guys had plenty of chances in the playoffs to step up their play? So much for self motivation. Game 7 absolutely nothing to lose when stepping up and giving your all. Did not see it. What has changed?

GP_hockeyhappens

What has changed is well documented don’t you think? For most they aren’t the changes expected because of preconceived notions about what they thought the changes were going to be.

The more critical question is why the changes — recognized or not. You recited a valid scenario for game 7. Not enough players stepped up in a critical game.

For me, it is very obvious the changes thought to make a difference aren’t the sweeping changes that have been assumed to nause’ation.

Ronn Sven

IMO leadership is critical. Because not all guys at this level are self-motivated like they should be. Sometimes a swift kick in the behind by someone in leadership for motivation can make a difference.Maybe this is the case for Coulture and Wingels?Especially for some of the younger players.

Ronn Sven

LOL A Sharks carol

renoshark

Both Bonino and McGinn have surpassed Gretzky and Lemieux on the GOAT list after having left SJ. What was Wilson thinking? 😉

spooky

i did not say Burns is a better D than Boyle. because i dont think he is
But Burns was also an allstar D. maybe i dont remember correctly.

spooky

i did not say Burns is a better D than Boyle. because i dont think he is
But Burns was also an allstar D. maybe i dont remember correctly.

spooky

i think the NMC only means you will not get traded behind your back meaning you have to agree. nothing more and nothing less than that.

spooky

i think the NMC only means you will not get traded behind your back meaning you have to agree. nothing more and nothing less than that.

J B

The Kings were formidable in the POs but were not giants. They lost three of seven games in each series before playing the Rangers. That’s not dominance; rather, their greatest strength was never being out of a series…obviously a good attribute to have.

J B

The Kings were formidable in the POs but were not giants. They lost three of seven games in each series before playing the Rangers. That’s not dominance; rather, their greatest strength was never being out of a series…obviously a good attribute to have.

J B

I’ve pondered that myself. Like on occasions when he has ramped it up for games of special importance to him personally (which he has acknowledged) like against Edmonton with its’ high profile young players.
Maybe it’s not so much selfishness as much as attempts to become a leader. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Adding to the items you mention, that he can be a little too sullen (and barely audible in interviews) after a loss with a demeanor that feels like he’s overdoing it because he been told at some point that’s what you’re supposed to do. Perhaps he is still figuring out how leadership works at this level.

Ronn Sven

Not dominance BS.They thrived on adversity and played better when behind the eight ball over and over again.Chicago had the only real chance to beat them.Bottom line the Hawks and Kings are the teams to beat. And the Sharks as of yet do not have the team cohesiveness to contend in the playoffs with either of them.Do you think we are even better than the Ducks ?

Tom (fm Quinzee)

You do remember correctly, Spooky. I guess we’ll see what happens when the games begin.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

Maybe we could get Billy Beane to be GM? Or at least Brad Pitt? Geez, talk about a monster trade. I know it’s baseball, but I’m amazed. And we can’t package anyone to get something better than John Scott? I’ve defended DW, for sure, but I would like to have seen him take a run at Kesler, to name one. Of course, the price tag would have been … #39? Or #83? Couture’s stats are better than Kesler’s. Kesler’s have slipped for the past 3 seasons, but then, so has the team he plays for.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

Geez, I posted this in the wrong place, but here’s a PuckDaddy article that is bizarre:

And here we thought the only thing with a Canadiens logo getting smoked was Douglas Murray…”

renoshark

I doubt John Scott will be around long.

Bait

The Sharks don’t need another Center. They need a Left Defenseman.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

Okay – where do we get a left d-man? And at what price? My main point was the boldness of the move, not that the Sharks need a center. That said, I’d have thought long and hard about Couture for Kesler. I might make that trade, maybe not straight-up, though. There’s a 4 or 5 year age difference, but Kesler has shown that he shows up in big games.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

I heard he has a “no movement clause,” as in his skating is so bad there’s no movement…

Bait

Chicago is a couple of million above the cap. They might be willing to trade a Swedish LD for a much cheaper Irwin and a 3rd Round Pick (if its Oduya) or 2016 2nd Round (if its Hjalmarsson). Campbell’s not happy in Florida… but Wilson is giving the impression that he’s not gonna upgrade until he gets rid of his better players.

The point is that the Sharks left defense consists of Vlasic and several backup/7th/8th defensemen.

Kesler is not an upgrade.

Tom (fm Quinzee)

I’d still love Hjarmarsson, so no argument there. But a while back I checked some stuff on capgeek, and the Hawks are in salary trouble, and a big part of it is due to NMC’s, which Hjarlmarsson has. Hossa does not have one, but nobody in their right mind takes his contract. So, if one wants to deal w/ the Hawks, the player has to agree…like Jumbo refused to (according to some rumors).

Kesler is not a downgrade,either. And again, he has proven to show up in big games, like the 2010 Olympics.

Buddy Elf

You mentioned Sharks pouting below….. tried to find a pic of Couture pouting, and saw this… Now we know which pic MLBSF has as the poster in his room.

Bait

The Hammer signed an offer sheet from the Sharks, so he might waive his NMC. If Thornton wanted out, then Kesler makes sense.